Pages

Monday, 21 October 2013

Shortcake biscuits with salted peanut caramel filling

I love baking when there is no pressure - an opportunity to try something new, experiment with new techniques and flavours, without the pressure of cooking for an occasion. A couple of weeks ago, I had a quiet Sunday afternoon with nothing planned and so decided to try out this recipe, recommended tby a friend. I’d never baked with
peanuts and never tried making proper caramel so they seemed like something fun
to try out!

The caramel peanuts were actually very easy to make –
just keep a very close eye on the caramel while it is in the pan. Don’t stir it
but give it a very gentle swirl when you can see it turning golden – just to
ensure that it cooks evenly.

The biscuits were simple, but time-consuming to make. Don’t
make these if you are in a hurry! The actual processing time is fairly quick and
easy but you do need to let the biscuits rest in the fridge twice before
baking. Once cool, the biscuits are a lovely crunchy texture and have a great
flavour, even without all the extra bits!

Using a tin of Carnation caramel to sandwich the biscuits
is easy – you could make the caramel yourself (see recipe for Millionaire’s shortbread)
but for these, the ready-made caramel works just fine.

Overall, these biscuits are very sweet but tasty – I think
my dad would love them! They are best eaten fresh – when the biscuits are
lovely and crunchy and contrast well with the smooth sticky caramel. They do
last ok – probably for about 5 days, but the biscuits lose their crunch after
about a day and so aren’t quite so good.

Shortcake biscuits with salted peanut caramel filling

For the caramel peanuts

50g caster sugar

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp salted peanut halves

For the biscuits

250g unsalted butter

250g caster sugar

2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

375g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

For the salted peanut caramel filling

300g dulce de leche / Carnation caramel

½ tsp sea salt flakes

1 tbsp salted peanuts, chopped

75g dark chocolate, melted

Method

For the caramel peanuts, line a non-stick baking tray with
baking parchment and arrange the peanuts on the tray.

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar
melts and the mixture is boiling and golden-brown in colour (do not stir the
caramel).

Pour the caramel over the peanuts and set aside to
harden.

Once set, roughly chop the caramel peanuts and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, then beat
in the peanut butter until well combined. Sift over the flour and stir until
the mixture comes together as a dough.

Divide the dough into two balls, cover both with cling
film and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Place the first piece of dough between two sheets of
baking parchments. (This means that you do not have to add extra flour when
rolling.)

Roll the dough out evenly until it is approximately 5-6mm
thick all over (you can buy rolling guides, but I have this rolling pin, which
is brilliant!). If the top or bottom sheets of parchment crinkle at any time,
peel it off and smooth out.

Cut out biscuits, with a 5cm round cookie cutter, cutting
each one as close to the last as possible, in order to use the dough
efficiently. Re-roll the dough as necessary, but try to work the dough as
little as possible.

Place the biscuits onto the lined baking trays and chill
for a further 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C and
line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Bake the biscuits in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until
golden-brown.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and set aside to cool
for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat stages 8-13 for the second piece of biscuit dough.

Spread the caramel on half the biscuits, then sprinkle
with sea salt and chopped peanuts. Sandwich together with a plain biscuit.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of
simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water).

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the biscuits then
sprinkle over the caramel peanuts.